Word: foul
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...That they foul the freakin...
...line, Washington let Rashad Anderson hit a three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left to tie it. UConn won in overtime. And on it goes. "It's a no-brainer," says CBS commentator Mike Gminski, who starred at Duke and played 14 years in the NBA, of the fouling strategy. "There are so many scenarios that have to happen for fouling to backfire, while if you don't foul, a three-pointer to tie the game is much more routine...
...Coaches in both the college and pro games offer various reasons for refusing to foul when up three. Cal coach Ben Braun, who teeters between the two tactics, nervously rattles off the risks of fouling another player. What if an 18-year-old kid gets too amped up and really whacks a points guard, causing the ref to whistle an intentional foul, which gives the opponent both two foul shots and the ball back? (Though after the no call last weekend on Ohio State's Greg Oden, who practically gang-tackled an Xavier player, it's hard to imagine anyone...
...coach's job is also to give his team the best shot of winning, and especially in the college game, that means fouling to prevent a last-second three-point attempt. College players, after all, have become so ridiculously proficient at three-pointers that many hoops afficianados argue that the line needs to be moved back further, from its current location of 19-ft, 9-in. from the basket to either the international 20-ft., 6-in. foot line or pros' most challenging 23-ft., 9-in. marker. What's more, if you teach your kids to foul in practice...
...many coaches just won't buy it. Another anti-hacker is Bucknell coach Pat Flannery, whose teams upset Kansas and Arkansas, respectively, in the '05 and '06 tournaments. He trains his defense to trap the good shooters, and doesn't want to risk a bad bounce on the second foul shot. "You've worked your tail off for over 39 minutes, and to foul at that point, for some people it's a great strategy, but for me, I'm too much of a Republican," he says. Meaning conservative, I assume? "Absolutely. Maybe there are some Democrats out there that...